ST PAUL, Minn. — Katie Albers didn't become a nurse for the accolades.
"We do it because we love the profession. We love the people. We love the patients," she says.
Katie is a post-anesthesia nurse at Regions Hospital in Saint Paul. She helps guide patients out of anesthesia after surgery and has been involved in testing patients she treats for COVID-19.
"We get to know our patients. We get to know their stories. We get to connect with them and we get to be with them in one of the most critical times of their lives when they’re the most sometimes emotional and scared," she says.
Katie is also a mother of two and says she makes it a priority to put her family first, even amidst a busy work schedule that includes overnight shifts.
"I believe that my patients are my family, too," she says. "Putting my family first – whether that’s my immediate family or if that’s my work family or my patient family – they always come first wherever I am."